Horace molby



ftait-eli gisten. inganni @fittav HGRAGE MOLBY, OF DAVl-SBURG, MICHIGAN.

Letters Patent No. 73,629 rif/.ted January 21, 1868.

IMPRGVMNT 1N CORN-HARVESTERS.

@Llp gagnait maar in in tiene ttttat tica nu mating gaat tf the tatu.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, HORACE MOLBY, of Davisburg, in the county cf Oakland, and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Harvesters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the 'accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

In the annexed drawings, making part of' this specification, A represents thcframe of this machine, which is made similar to an ordinary skeleton wagonbody,and is supported upon suitable wheels and axles. Erected upon this frame are four standards, a a, which are provided each with a pulley, over which pass the cords b l?. Two of these standards are at one end and two at the other. A rack, D, lies longitudinally of the frame, and is hinged to it at its lower edge. The cords bb have one end attached to the upper ends of the rack, while their lower ends are secured to the small windlasses @Z cl. These cords pass around thel pulleys on the standards, and serve to move the upper end of the rack to one side or the other, for loading and unloading the corn.

On one side ot the frame A is situated a platform, B, upon which the operator stands in manipulating the machine and the corn after it has been cut. Beneath the platform B, and to the rear of the frame at one side, is hinged the hinged frame C, to which is secured the cutting-apparatus. 'l represents a lever-handle, which is secured at its lower end to platform B, and from this handle passes a cord, s, over a pulley on thevforward end of the machine, and attaches to the forward end of the hinged frame C. This handle and cord serve to raise and lower the forward end of the hinged frame. i

G represents a shaft, which lies across the rear of the hinged frame, having its bearings in it. This shaft is provided with a pinion, F,`and two pulleys, I audvH. A gear-wheel, w, which is secured to one of the faces of one of the supportingwheels of the machine, takes into the teeth of pinion F and gives motion to shaft Gr.

i O represents the cutter-wheel, which is placed in a horizontal position upon the forward end of the hinged frame. The shaft of this cutter-wheel has upon its lower end a pinion, and just above this pinion, a pulley, as seen in dotted lines, Figure 3. A band from pulley h passes to and around pulley H ou shaft G, and by means ofithis band -is the cutter-wheel driven. Two idle-wheels, g andf, convey motion from theV pinion on the cutterwheel shaft to the pinion t' on the shaft of the re'cl P. l

Upon the periphery of `the wheel O are'two crooked knives,rwl1ich cut the stalks of' corn when the wheel revolves. Attached to the knife or cutterwheel are the fingers with elbows, which drop in a slot in the wheel' as they pass under the apron, (which partially covers the wheeh) but rise up again as they come out, and serve to carry the corn from rightto left within reach of the reel P.

Back of the apron, and upon the hinged frame, is placed a revolving platform, K. The shaft of this plat= form, standing in a vertical position, has on its lower end a pulley, d, which is connected to pulley I on shaft Gr by nreans ot' a band. Upon the upper* side of this platform are hinged fourY standards, L L, two at one end, a.J a suitable distance apart, and two at the other end. These standards are connected in pairs, as seen,by the curved bars l R, and the bars R are connected by means of the rod N. The bottom of the platform is corrugated or roughened, to keep the bottoms of the stalks from slipping. 1,/

In using this machine, it is drawn forward, so that the knives of the circular cutter pass over the re corn. The wheel O, having motion imparted to it through the band of pulley H on shaft G, its knives cut t stalks of corn and its fingers carry the butts back, so that the stalksV are caught by the reel P. The reelP moves the stalks backward, and stands them upon the platform K and resting against one ofthe curved bars R. As soon as a sullicient number of stalks is ont and carried back to make a bundle, the operator tightens the cord on pulley I, which acts on the-pulley J on the shaft of the platform'K, and causes said platform to make a half revolution, or the operator may turn at vonce the revolving platform ljy hand. The operator then, after tying the bundle, throws it upon the rack l), where it remains until a load has been cut. .As soon as this happens, a wagon is brought by the side of 4the machine, and, by the cords b b, the rack is partially revolved, and the stalks thrown on to the wagomwhich carries them away. Thus, the operation continues, and as fast as a bundle oi' stalks is made or collected upon the platform K, so often is it partially revolved and they removed. The lar-ge reel g serves to carry back the tops of the stalks tothe revolving platform, while the reel P moves the butts.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the frame A, provided with the rack D and cords d d and standards a a, the hinged frame C, rotary cutter, cord s, and lever T, arranged in.tl1e mnnnerand for the purposes set forth.

2. The revolving platform K, with its bars L L and R, for supporting the cornstalks, and operating as and for the purpose specified. i

3. The arrangement of the cutter-wheel O with the revolvin` platform K and the reels tially as. and for the purpose specified.

As evidence that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

HORACE MoLBY.-

Witnesses:

B. HENRY ROTHWELL, GEORGE M. LYON.

P and q, substan- 

